The invention pertains to lavatories. More parti-cularly, the invention pertains to lavatories for use on board vehicles, such as aircraft, wherein it is desirable to provide both toilet and vanity services.
Providing lavatories on board aircraft is widely known. One could hardly imagine a commercial or corporate class aircraft which would not provide lavatory services for its passengers and crew. For examples of toilets provided on board aircraft, see U.S. Pat. Nos. Des. 155,362 (Ray 1949), 155,335 (Delcher, Jr. et al 1949) and 155,363 (Ray et al 1949). U.S. Pat. No. Des. 155,335 also discloses a sink and mirror provided within a lavatory, such as is also common practice on board vehicles such as aircraft.
With the ever increasing amount of air travel, it is becoming increasingly more important to provide luxuries to air-craft passengers similar to those which they are accustomed to having provided for them while on the earth's surface. One such luxury is the ability to sit in front of a vanity to "freshen themselves up" such as after a long trip or before a business meeting. However, due to space requirements typically found on board aircraft, it has not heretofore been known to provide luxury vanities on board aircraft. Although a tall passenger would probably be able to contort his or her body from a seated position upon a toilet seat or cover such as is provided in the Delcher, Jr. patent (U.S. Pat. No. Des. 155,335) and look into the mirror provided above the sink opposite the toilet, it would be very difficult to remain seated on the toilet seat and still be able to closely inspect the reflection provided in the opposite mirror.
Of course, space permitting, a separate chair may be provided in a standard aircraft lavatory to serve as a vanity seat. However, this would take up an unsatisfactory amount of precious space and would also present storage problems for stowing the vanity seat when not in use. Providing loose chairs may also violate safety rules requiring such components to be secured to the aircraft.
The toilet itself might be installed closer to the bathroom mirror, eliminating the need to contort one's body in order to gaze into the mirror while remaining seated on the toilet seat or cover provided. However, this would make ordinary use of the toilet seat less convenient as it would unacceptably restrict leg room in front of the toilet seat. Such a configuration would further unacceptably restrict the use of the mirror and sink when the occupant is in a standing position in front of the mirror as the close proximity of the toilet seat would interfere with the occupant's maneuvering ability.
It is known to combine a driver's seat and a toilet seat in the operating compartment of locomotives for locomotive engineers. See U.S. Pat. No. 2,431,264 (Lynett 1947). It is also known to provide adjustable vanity seats disposed in front of toilet cabinets such as in Vetter, U.S. Pat. No. 140,324 (1873). It is also known to provide forward sliding seats, such as jump-seats as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 176,804 (Patten 1876).
However, there has not heretofore been provided a satisfactory combination toilet and vanity for use on board vehicles, such as aircraft. Space and safety requirements have heretofore seemed prohibitive against providing a satisfactory vanity seat within the aircraft's lavatory.
It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a lavatory for use on board an aircraft which adequately and conveniently provides both toilet and vanity services for the aircraft passengers and crew.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a vehicular toilet seat which doubles as a vanity seat.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a combination toilet and vanity seat for use on board any vehicle.